Melanie Haskins
Owner and estimator
Takes the first set of readings at every house and writes the moisture report herself.
Basement drainage and remodeling · Kansas City
We read the water before we frame the wall.
Haskins Basement & Drainage finishes basements in the Kansas City area. Every job starts the same way: a written moisture report, in your hands before we quote a single wall.
- A written report before any quote
- A second reading after the first heavy rain
Page one of every job
The moisture report: what we measure, and where
This is a sample page, pinned to a sample basement. Yours uses your house: the same six places, the readings we took and what we think they mean.
- 1
Where the wall meets the floor
The first reading we take. A wall that's wet low and dry above points to water at the footing, not the roof.
- 2
The foot of the stairs
A damp floor here can mean water coming up through the slab instead of in along the wall.
- 3
The corner beside the door
Corners meet two walls and collect the most outside water. We log both walls and the floor.
- 4
The long wall
Readings at three heights, so you can see a line and not a guess.
- 5
The vent and ceiling
We note the room's humidity and whether a dryer vent or duct is dumping moist air into the room.
- 6
The middle of the floor
A square of plastic taped to the slab shows whether moisture collects underneath.
Sample content.
Where it comes from
Four ways water gets into a Kansas City basement
Clay soil holds water against the foundation, and a heavy spring rain gives it somewhere to go. The report sorts your basement into one or more of these.
From above
Gutters that spill at the corner, downspouts that end at the wall, soil that slopes toward the house.
Through the wall
Cracks, block joints and the seam where a wall meets a window well.
Up from below
Water that rises under the slab and comes in at the floor joint or a crack.
Back out of the pit
A sump pump that failed, a discharge line that's frozen or a pit that never had a way out.
Drain first
The drainage is the job. The finishing is what's left.
Most basement jobs that go wrong were finished over water that was never dealt with. We do it in the other order.
Once the report says where the water comes from, we plan the path out: tile along the footing, a pit, a pump and a discharge line that ends well away from the house.
What the drainage work includes
Drain tile at the footing, where the water collects
A sump pit with a pump, a check valve and a discharge line
A battery backup for the nights the power goes out in a storm
Gutters, downspouts and grade corrected outside
The job in order
Six steps, and the meter is read twice
The same order on every job, from the first visit to the last one.
- 01
The moisture report
Readings, photos and a plain note on where the water comes from.
- 02
The plan and the number
A written scope, what's in it and what isn't, and a price.
- 03
Drain and dry in
Tile, pit, pump, discharge and the outside work, tested with water.
- 04
Frame and insulate
Walls built off the concrete, with the right insulation behind them.
- 05
Finish
Ceilings, floors, trim and paint, in the order that keeps them clean.
- 06
The second reading
We come back after the first heavy rain and read the same spots again.
Finished basements
What the dry side of the job looks like
Showing 3 of 3
Sample photos.
The crew
Who comes to your house
A crew of eight. These four are the people you'll talk to.
Agustin Irizarry
Drainage and sump lead
Runs the cutting, digging and pipe work, and tests every system with water before it's covered.
Kim Haugen
Finish carpenter lead
Frames, hangs and trims the rooms once the walls are dry.
Ratna Tran
Scheduler and office manager
Books the visits, watches the forecast for the dig days and answers the phone.
Sample reviews
What a finished job sounds like
“The report came before the quote. It had a photo of the wall where the water was getting in, and a plain note on what to fix first.”
Marcelino P.Pleasant Valley
“They tested the new pump with a hose while I watched. Two storms later the floor was dry, and the carpet went down on schedule.”
Bill D.Harrisonville
“I only wanted a bedroom with a window I could climb out of. They explained the well, the ladder and the drain before they cut the wall.”
Maya R.Weston
Sample reviews.
The Missouri side
Jackson, Cass, Clay and Platte counties, on the Missouri side
Drainage crews work on a schedule that follows the weather, and that sets how far we drive. Type your ZIP code to see if we come to you. If your town isn't listed, ask: we'll say yes or no before we book.
- Jackson County: Kansas City, Lake Tapawingo, Unity Village, Blue Summit · Kansas City itself, where most of our basement work is, and the small towns just east of it.
- Cass County: Harrisonville, Pleasant Hill · South of the city, where the work is farther apart.
- Clay County: Pleasant Valley, Holt, Avondale, Oakview, Glenaire · North of the river.
- Platte County: Weston, Camden Point, Dearborn, Edgerton, Northmoor · West and north of the airport.
We stay on the Missouri side of the state line and don't work past Jackson, Cass, Clay and Platte counties. We don't build new houses, and we don't take crawl-space-only or roof-only jobs.
ZIP codes: 64114, 64131, 64133, 64134, 64138, 64118, 64119, 64116, 64015, 64064, 64701, 64080, 64068, 64048, 64098, 64018, 64439, 64444, 64151
Questions
Before you call
What does the moisture check cost?
It's a paid visit, and the fee is quoted when you book. The report is yours to keep even if you hire someone else. Ask us whether the fee is credited toward a job; the quote says.
Can you finish a basement that leaks?
Not until the water is handled. We drain it, then we frame. If we can't tell where the water comes from, the report says so and says what we'd check next.
My house was built before 1978. Does that change anything?
It can. Paid work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 falls under the EPA's lead-safe renovation rule. We're a certified firm, we test or assume lead, and we set up plastic sheeting and HEPA vacuums. Small repairs under 6 square feet inside are exempt, but window replacement and demolition never are.
Do I need a permit?
Often, yes. Plumbing, electrical and egress changes usually need one, and it depends on your city. We tell you what applies at your address and pull the permits for the work we do.
Can I stay in the house during the work?
Yes. The dig is the dusty, noisy part and it takes a few days. We close the basement off with plastic and keep the path to the door clean.
Contact
Book a moisture check
Tell us what you're seeing. We write back about a day, and about what to have ready.
Phone(816) 555-0104
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed